Padres Pregame: Updates on Quentin, Luebke before Dodgers visit Petco

The Padres made considerable off-the field news early this afternoon before facing the Dodgers in the opener of a two-game series at Petco Park (3:35 p.m.; TV: Fox Sports San Diego; Radio: 1090-AM).

In order:

--Jimmy Jones has been named the Padres interim bullpen coach. Jones joined the club Wednesday to fill-in for Darrel Akerfelds, who is currently hospitalized in his fight against pancreatic cancer. Jones is in his fourth season coaching in the Padres organization and his second as the pitching coach for Doluble-A San Antonio. Jones was the Padres first-round pick (third overall) in the 1982.

--Left fielder Carlos Quentin has received a cortisone injection in his surgical.ly-repaired right knee, delaying his return from the disabled list. The Padres do not have a projected date for Quentin’s 2012 debut. He had surgery on his right knee March 19 to repair a torn meniscus and remove floating particles. At that time, Quentin’s return was projected at four to six weeks.

--Left-handed starter Cory Luebke is still contemplating his next step after Dr. Louis Yocum examined his left-elbow and offered the second opinion that Luebke has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. Luebke is considering either rehabbing the injury or having “Tommy John” elbow reconstruction surgery.

As for the Dodgers-Padres series, the Dodgers have the best record in the major leagues and the Padres have the worst record in the National League – largely off the results of their first seven meetings.

This will be the third series between the Padres and Dodgers this season and thus far the Dodgers hold a 6-1 edge. The Dodgers won three of the first four games played at Petco Park in the season-opening series. There will be one major difference this time. Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp, who hit six of his 12 homers this season against the Padres, is on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. The Dodgers have also placed third baseman Juan Uribe on the disabled list and will be without former Padres infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. today.

Capuano, 33, ranks ninth in the National League in ERA this season and seventh with an opponents’ batting average of .192. In this season’s third game, Capuano allowed four runs on two hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings at Petco Park.

Richard, 28, has been the losing pitcher in each of his last five starts (6.39 ERA). His first two starts of the season were against the Dodgers and he picked up the Padres first win in the fourth game of the season as he held the Dodgers to two unearned runs on two hits over seven innings. Kemp hit two of the seven homers allowed by Richard this season.